Libya's joint "6+6" committee, which includes members of the High Council of State (HCS) and the House of Representatives (unicameral parliament), reached important agreements on holding presidential and parliamentary elections. This was announced Tuesday evening by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
He addressed reporters in the town of Bouznika (40 km southwest of Rabat) following the meeting of the 6+6 committee held since May 22 devoted to preparing the legal framework for holding presidential and parliamentary elections in the country, the TASS correspondent reports from the scene. At the meeting with the press in Bouznik, the HCS was represented by Omar Abu Boulifa and the House of Representatives by Jalal al-Shuweidi.
"The Libyan brothers proved that if they are given a platform, they can come to a consensus. The meetings that took place in Bouznika made it possible to reach important agreements regarding presidential and parliamentary elections. We consider this a significant and fundamental event which augurs well for the future. And we hope that the agreements reached here today will be the basis for the organization of elections in Libya," Bourita stressed.
As a result of the meetings in Bouznika, the "6+6" committee agreed on the electoral law for the Libyan National Assembly, which will consist of two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. After overcoming all the contentious issues, the law on the election of the head of state was passed. The laws do not prevent anyone from participating in the elections, preserve the role of parties, increase women's participation and regional representation.
Parliamentary elections are to be held in December 2023, presidential elections in January 2024. The laws agreed to by the 6+6 committee must now be approved by the House of Representatives, as required by current rules, before they will take effect.
At the end of March, the State Council and Parliament delegated 12 representatives to the "6+6" committee. This committee, the format of which was proposed by Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, was tasked with preparing and agreeing upon a legislative framework for the referendum, presidential and parliamentary elections.
There are now effectively two governments in Libya: a cabinet in the east, headed by Fathi Bashagha, who is supported by the parliament, and a Government of National Unity led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, headquartered in Tripoli. On June 22, 2022, the transition period established by the UN as a result of the Geneva accords expired, by the end of which Libya should have an elected president and parliament. The elections scheduled for December 2021 were canceled due to the lack of the necessary constitutional framework.
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Based on materials from TASS